We Were Seated At Breakfast When A Native Came In, Bringing Intelligence
Of A Herd Of Elephants About Four Miles Distant.
I was not in a state
for shooting, but I resolved to mount my steady old horse Jack, and take
my chance of revenge for my mishap.
The guns were accordingly loaded,
and we started.
We had ridden through the Park for about three miles, and had just
turned round the corner of a patch of jungle, when we came suddenly upon
a large rogue elephant, who was standing in the open, facing us at about
seventy yards. The moment that he saw the horses he turned sharp round,
and retreated to a long belt of fine open forest which was close behind
him. There was no resisting the invitation upon such favourable ground,
and immediately dismounting, we followed him. I now found that my leg
was nearly useless, and I could only move at a snail's pace, and even
then with great pain. Upon reaching the forest, we found that the rogue
had decamped, not wishing to meet us in such advantageous ground. We
followed his tracks for a few hundred yards through the wood, till we
suddenly emerged upon a large tract of high lemon grass. Into this, our
cunning foe had retreated, and with my decreased powers of locomotion, I
did not wish to pursue him farther. I was at length persuaded by Banda
to make a trial, and we accordingly left the track, and pushed our way
through the high grass to some rising ground, from which we could look
over the surface of waving vegetation, and find out the exact position
of the elephant. While forcing our way through the dense mass, I
momentarily expected to hear the rush of the rogue charging down upon
us, and I was glad to find myself at length safe in the position we had
steered for.
Upon scanning the surface of the grass, I distinguished the elephant
immediately; he was standing close to the edge of the jungle in the high
grass facing us, at about 150 yards distant. He was a picture of intense
excitement and attention, and was evidently waiting for us. In the
position that we now occupied, we unavoidably gave him the wind, and he
of course almost immediately discovered us. Giving two or three shrill
trumpets, he paced quickly to and fro before the jungle, as though he
were guarding the entrance. To enter the high grass to attack him, would
have been folly, as he was fully prepared, and when once in the tangled
mass we could not have seen him until he was upon us; we therefore
amused ourselves for about ten minutes by shouting at him. During this
time he continued pacing backwards and forwards, screaming almost
without intermission; and having suddenly made up his mind to stand this
bullying no longer, he threw his trunk up in the air and charged
straight at us. The dust flew like smoke from the dry grass as he rushed
through it; but we were well prepared to receive him.
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